Travel toothbrush with dental cream included

ABSTRACT

A travel toothbrush through which dental cream may be dispensed one-handed. The toothbrush comprises a hollow, elongated handle; a cartridge in which dental cream is stored, this cartridge being sized to fit within the hollow handle; and a brush head portion having an aperture through which dental cream from the cartridge is dispensed within and beneath its brush head portion, when a pivotable valve in that brush head portion is moved to an open position by the operator&#39;s thumb or finger.

RELATED DATA

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.10/054,244, filed on Jan. 24, 2002, now abandoned, the disclosure ofwhich is fully incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The existing toothbrushes that we see on consumer shelves these dayshave undergone numerous modifications through the years. There are lotsof new models in a big variety of brands, colors, sizes and features forattracting attract the attention of consumers. Likewise, dental cream,or toothpaste, has evolved since its very invention. Many substanceshave been added to such creams, including calcium, fluoride and “mfp”,for attracting new consumers and keeping existing ones. Recently, a newproduct was marketed that is a combination of both dental paste andmouthwash.

Some companies have offered their customers a combination of twoproducts, both toothbrush and dental cream, in one container for sometime. Such models are typically suited for travel, and are often meantfor disposal after all dental cream has been depleted therefrom. Inother instances, the dental cream containment of a toothbrush“combination” is refillable. Representative of such prior art productcombinations are the toothbrush/dental cream devices depicted in U.S.Pat. Nos. 64,455, 922,947, 1,374,330, 1,505,363, 1,780,066, 2,053,145,2,997,078, 4,277,194, 4,583,563, 4,622,984, 4,717,278, 5,066,155,5,181,531, 5,425,590, 5,439,014, 5,746,532, 5,911,532, 5,913,632 and6,050,736. While a few components of my toothbrush/dental cream conceptmay have equivalents in several of the foregoing, I believe my inventionas described below is a novel and non-obvious combination of featuresthat represents an improvement over the prior art devices listed above.

My invention is yet another alternative to the foregoing collection oftoothbrush and dental cream product combinations. I am introducing arevolutionary toothbrush with dental cream incorporated therein anddelivered to the brush head by its user in a different manner from anyof those above patented means. This invention has the potential tochange the concept of teeth hygiene in my country with a portable designthat is both functional and pragmatic.

I created this toothbrush/dental cream combination after conducting someresearch for its need in such big cities as Bogota, Barranquilla, Caliand Medellin, Colombia. Likewise, in such U.S. cities as Dallas and NewYork, the population of potential consumers that I targeted my inventionfor is very mixed and includes workers, students, homemakers andprofessionals from different social status levels.

With my new product design that incorporates small tubes of dental creaminto the handle portion of a toothbrush, for application with only onehand by the user of this product, these two product forms (bothtoothbrush and dental cream/toothpaste) are again fused into one. Myinvention differs from conventional toothbrushes because its pen-likedesign makes it so portable that consumers could carry it around intheir pockets, purses, etc., the same as they would a pencil or a pen.

I thank God for giving me the opportunity to create this invention forthe well being of humanity.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Past companies who intended to offer their consumers a combination oftwo products were, in fact, merely offering the customer two distinctproducts in one package (both toothbrush and dental cream). Based onthat perception, I decided to create a unique and real product that themarket has never seen before. I united two essential products for goodoral hygiene in one resulting in an ergonomically designed toothbrushthrough which dental cream may be dispersed through a preferably,refillable cartridge. A significant advantage of my invention concernsthe fact that dental cream may be dispersed onto the bristles of thistoothbrush “one-handed”, i.e. without the need to hold the brush in onehand and squeeze dental cream onto the brush with a second hand. Rather,the operation of this invention entails opening the button, or valve,that seals the dental cream cartridge when not in use, then squeezingsaid cream onto the bristle portion of my toothbrush.

Many of the prior art toothbrush/dental cream patents, identified above,required complex screw/auger or other mechanical means for supplyingcream to the heads of their respective toothbrushes. My design, bycontrast, is simple and can function single-handedly.

Alternative embodiments of this invention further include a cover forthe brush head when not in use; and a clip device for easier carrying ofmy invention in the shirt pocket of any consumer. This toothbrush/dentalcream configuration should also avoid the propagation of contagiousdiseases that are believed to spread due to the same dental creampackage being shared among members of a determined group.

This toothbrush/dental cream combination has a valve for releasing andshutting off the flow of dental cream to the brush head, and preferablya brush head cover for protecting the bristles from virus or bacteria inthe environment. The latter head cover also helps to avoid any dentalcream from leaking when the consumer is carrying it in his/her pocket,jacket, bag, etc. The cartridge with dental cream is an integral part tothe handle/body portion of this toothbrush design. This new product willbe portable and pragmatic. It will save time and storage space for theaverage consumer, while also contributing to better teeth hygiene.

I hope to introduce a valuable product to the market that will alsocreate a new concept in oral hygiene. I would find tremendoussatisfaction in licensing this invention to anyorganization/manufacturer/corporate entity for transforming my conceptfrom a prototype to a credible and profitable consumer item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fully assembled toothbrush and dentalcream dispenser, with brush head cover removed, according to onepreferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2a is a side view of the fully assembled brush and cream dispenserfrom FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b is a sectional view of FIG. 2a showing the brush head cover andpartially transparent portions of the brush head, for betterillustrating the pivoting pin mechanism of this invention, and forshowing the means by which the dental cream dispenser fits fullyinserted into said brush head;

FIG. 2c is a bottom view of FIG. 2a;

FIG. 2d is a sectional view of FIG. 2c, showing other aspects of thisinvention with partially transparent components;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dental cream dispenser portion ofthis invention; and

FIGS. 4a through c show the pivotal brush head component responsible forrepeatedly sealing and resealing the dental cream within the handleportion of the toothbrush handle hereof. Particularly, this brush headcomponent is shown in bottom view (4 a), front view (4 b) and side view(4 c).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the accompanying Figures, there is shown a toothbrushcombination 10 consisting of a handle portion 20, refillable cartridge30 and brush head portion 40, the latter portion 40 being unrotatablyaffixed to handle portion 20. In addition, within brush head portion 40,valve 50 is pivotally mounted for opening and closing means fordelivering dental cream to brush head 40, preferably by being pushedinto its open position merely using pressure from an operator's thumb orfinger. Optionally, but also preferably, this invention further includesa clip 60 and brush head cover 70 (best seen in FIG. 2b).

Cartridge 30 extends from tip 32 through which dental cream is releasedvia aperture 42 in brush head 40, along shaft 34 and ending in refillingend 36. The latter end 36, as shown, includes a threaded cap forsecuring into one end of shaft 34, though it is to be understood thatother reusable filler ends are also anticipated hereby. In addition,less preferred embodiments of this invention could include areplaceable, disposable cartridge configuration as well. Ideally, thiscartridge is made from highly flexible materials, plastic, cardboard orany other recyclable among them. More preferably, this material isclear, or substantially transparent for the user/operator to readily seehow much dental cream remains in the cartridge. Harder components ofthis cartridge should insure that no dental cream will be wasted whencartridge 30 is installed into the handle 20 of this invention.

Tip 32 of cartridge 30 preferably contacts a ring 44 within brush head40 when the refillable cartridge of this invention is properly installedwithin handle portion 20. More preferably, tip 32 will make a clickingsound to notify the user of this invention that cartridge 30 is nowproperly affixed within handle 20. Alternatively, cartridge 30 may beconfigured for inserting into handle 20 and with one or two rotationsscrewed into a threaded end of said handle for securing therein.

Handle 20 and cartridge 30 of this invention are ergonomically designedwith handle 20 having a window 22 through which remaining contents ofcartridge 30 may be monitored. Users of preferred embodiments of thisinvention apply dental cream to the bristles B of brush head 40 by firstmoving valve 50 to an “open” position as described in more detail below,then pressing a finger or thumb through window 22 and against cartridge30. That, in turn, causes the dental cream within cartridge 30 to flowthrough tip 32, aperture 42 and onto bristles B. This cartridge isespecially designed to prevent dental cream from leaking out the handle.

Valve 50, as shown in more detail in FIGS. 4a through c, serves as aninterrupt to repeatedly release and seal the aperture through whichdental cream will flow. Valve 50 should be made of a material withminimal elasticity so that little pressure is needed to move valve froma “closed” to an “open” setting, or vice versa. For this reason,preferred embodiments of valve 50 include a pair of side hinge pins 52with a top pinhead-like protuberance 54 which opens or shuts aperture 42in brush head 40. Most preferably, protuberance 54 is slightly inclinedto ensure the aforesaid functional requirements. FIG. 2b shows valve 50operating in both a closed and open position. When closed, the lowerright side of valve 50, as depicted in FIG. 2b, is pushed inward untilsubstantially flush with the bottom of brush head 40. To open thisvalve, nominal pressure is applied to its left side (as shown), causingvalve 50 to pivot inwardly on hinge pins 52, after which the handle andcartridge are squeezed to dispense dental cream to the bristles B ofbrush head 40. Preferably, valve 50 is sized so that it must be in aclosed position to fit in the user's mouth.

Pocket clip 60 should also be made of an elastic material while optionalcover 70 may be made with 3 or 4 side walls, and with or without notchesin at least one of these side walls for positioning over brush head 40when the invention is not in use.

Having described currently preferred embodiments of this invention, itis to be understood that it may otherwise be shown and described in thescope of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A travel toothbrush through which integrallystored dental cream may be dispensed with only one hand by an operator,said toothbrush comprising: (a) a hollow, elongated handle; (b) acartridge in which dental cream is stored, said cartridge being sized tofit within the hollow handle and end in a tip through which dental creamwill be dispensed and having a threaded aperture and threaded capopposite the tip for refilling; (c) a brush head portion unrotatablyaffixed to one end of the handle, said brush head portion having anaperture adjacent to which the tip of the dental cream cartridge islocated when said cartridge is properly positioned in said hollowhandle; and (d) a pivotable valve for opening and closing the aperturein said brush head portion through which dental cream may flow when saidvalve is pushed to an open position, said dental cream being dispensedfrom within and beneath said brush head portion, through said apertureand onto said brush head portion by the operator without having torotate said brush head portion relative to said handle or saidcartridge.
 2. The travel toothbrush of claim 1 which further includes apocket clip for positioning over the handle.
 3. The travel toothbrush ofclaim 1 which further includes a removable cover for storing over saidbrush head portion when not in use.
 4. The travel toothbrush of claim 1wherein said handle has a window through which the amount of dentalcream in said cartridge can be seen, said dental cream being dispensedby manually depressing on said cartridge with an operator's thumb orfinger.
 5. The travel toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said cartridge ismade from a flexible material for dispensing dental cream therefrom byplacing nominal pressure against a side of said cartridge.
 6. The traveltoothbrush of claim 5 wherein said flexible material is substantiallytransparent.
 7. The travel toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said dentalcream cartridge is not refillable but rather removed from the handleafter being substantially depleted of dental cream and replaced with asecond dental cream cartridge.
 8. The travel toothbrush of claim 1wherein the tip of said cartridge fits snugly into said handle byabutting a ring in said handle.
 9. The travel toothbrush of claim 1wherein said pivotable valve may be pushed into said open positionmerely using pressure from an operator's thumb or finger.
 10. A traveltoothbrush through which integrally stored dental cream may be dispensedwith only one hand for use by an operator, said toothbrush comprising:(a) a hollow, elongated handle; (b) a cartridge in which dental cream isstored, said cartridge: being sized to fit within the hollow handle,ending in a tip through which dental cream will be dispensed; being madefrom a flexible material for dispensing dental cream therefrom byplacing nominal pressure against a side of said cartridge; and having athreaded aperture and threaded cap opposite the tip for refilling; (c) abrush head portion non-pivotally affixed to one end of the handle, saidbrush head portion having an aperture adjacent to which the tip of thedental cream cartridge is located when said cartridge is properlypositioned in said hollow handle; (d) a pivotable valve for opening andclosing the aperture in said brush head portion through which dentalcream may flow when said valve is pushed to an open position, saiddental cream being dispensed from within and beneath said brush headportion, through said aperture, then onto said brush head portion by theoperator without having to rotate said brush head portion relative tosaid handle or said cartridge; and (e) at least one of: (i) a pocketclip for positioning over the handle; or (ii) a removable cover forstoring over the brush head portion when not in use.
 11. The traveltoothbrush of claim 10 wherein said handle has a window through whichthe dental cream cartridge can be seen and through which said cartridgecan be manually depressed by an operator's thumb or finger.
 12. Thetravel toothbrush of claim 10 wherein said dental cream cartridge issubstantially transparent.
 13. The travel toothbrush of claim 10 whereinsaid pivotable valve may be pushed into said open position merely usingpressure from an operator's thumb or finger.